Re-Posts

I had written this post a week or so ago and never posted it for some reason.  A friend of mine (JP) just posted this link on Facebook.  It is so very similar to the one from a week or so ago here(& below) that I had been thinking about.

http://powerofmoms.com/2012/04/your-children-want-you/

An excerpt:

"There’s something deeper going on in family life than can [n]ever be expressed on a social network. Whatever it is we feel we are lacking, can we collectively decide–as deliberate mothers–that we are not going to sit around feeling discouraged about all the things we’re not?

Can we remind each other that it is our uniqueness and love that our children long for? It is our voices. Our smiles. Our jiggly tummies. Of course we want to learn, improve, exercise, cook better, make our homes lovelier, and provide beautiful experiences for our children, but at the end of the day, our children don’t want a discouraged, stressed-out mom who is wishing she were someone else."

I so connect with what the author is saying.  Sometimes, and I think especially with social media and the blog world, we can get so caught up in what everybody else is doing and feel like we are not enough.  My house isn't as clean, I'm not as frugal, I'm not as creative, my house is not as beautiful, my kids aren't doing as many (none!) cool crafts...the list could go on and on.  But one thing I try to remind myself - God didn't call me to be like any number of these women who write these amazing blogs or come up with the coolest ideas on Pinterest.  He called me to be like Him. Yes, I can gain inspiration and ideas and grow and be challenged through the many ideas I can find on the internet but the minute I begin to feel like I am not measuring up, that's when I need to reexamine where my focus is and who it is on.  It is great to be inspired, but as soon as that inspiration turns to discouragement, discontentment, and frustration it is no longer causing inspiration but sin.  My focus then becomes about me and what I am not, rather than celebrating and cultivating and working toward the gifts that God has given me to use for His glory. Don't let who you aren't paralyze you into fear and frustration and failure, rather be reminded whose you are and let that be your motivation, inspiration, and challenge for growth.